My recruiter submitted all the paperwork and received approval for me to complete a medical physical at MEPS. He then called and said I could just go and take the physical, and see how it went, or I could go prepared to swear in and if I passed the physical I would swear in that day. I decided that since I'd come this far and was certain I wanted to join that there was no point in delaying things any longer. So I told him if I passed my physical I was ready to swear in!
A day at MEPS starts really early (6am) so they put everyone up in a hotel the night before to ensure you arrive on time in the morning. So I went to my recruiter's office around 3 in the afternoon and his assistant drove me over to the hotel. It was a very nice hotel! My roommate for the night arrived soon after I did and we introduced ourselves. She was going to be shipping out for Army BCT at Fort Jackson, SC the next morning. It was nice to be able to ask someone what exactly to expect at MEPS the next day. We took a walk to Walmart for a snack, used the computers made available to us to catch up on Facebook, enjoyed a nice dinner, attended the brief meeting about the hotel rules, and crashed early.
I don't think either of us got much sleep. I think I was just a little bit nervous! We got up at 4:30am, enjoyed a nice breakfast, and then rode a charter bus to MEPS in downtown OKC. They had us get in two lines outside. One for those shipping out to BCT, and one for those processing. Almost everyone was a shipper, mostly young men heading to Marine Boot Camp. There was 6 of going through medical. We checked in with our branch of service, and then were given a brief explanation of what would happen. We filled out multiple forms, took a breathalyzer test, and had our blood pressure checked. With only 6 of us, it all went fairly fast. I was usually first in line as well, being the only female. We had our vision checked, took a hearing test, had blood drawn, a urine sample collected, and then an interview with the doctor. He reviewed my medical history, and asked questions about my jaw surgery. After I explained how the surgery had been performed and that the screws in my jaw were not painful, he cleared me to continue on.
Then came the infamous "duck walk" in your undies. Lol. I know I looked hilarious! They took my height an weight and had me perform multiple exercises to prove my range of motion. Then a quick physical exam and I was done!
All of this took until about 11am. I then met with a counselor with the National Guard and he wrote up my contract. My Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) is 09S, or Potential Officer Candidate. If for some reason I don't make it through OCS, then my backup MOS is in supply.
After this I was given a chance to eat lunch (a sandwich) and saw my hotel roommate. She was about to head to the airport for her flight to South Carolina. I then got to fill out more paperwork, and had my official fingerprints taken.
The came the swearing in! They showed a short fill beforehand, to make sure you understood what you were about to do. Then I was taken into the swearing room, and shown how to stand at Attention and At Ease. My mom and brother came up to watch, and they stood in the back of the room. I was sworn in by a Captain. It was a very surreal moment. I couldn't believe it was actually happening!
After there was more paperwork, and I gave my final signature/fingerprint. My recruiter than took me across town to the 45th Infantry headquarters where I received my initial military uniform. Until I go to BCT, I'll be attending drill once a month with the Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP). We have nice navy windsuits to wear and they'll be teaching me all the basics of being in the National Guard.
It was about 4pm before I headed home, so it was a really long day! I'm very excited for my first drill and to start learning what it means to be a solider.
